OK, I got one of these to give it as a gift to my friend who is "using" one of my Pearls [until I get mad at her and take it back
].
This is what I call Seidio's "medium" extended battery because it is larger than the OEM battery that comes with the Pearl [the yellow one] but not as big as the Seidio 2400 mAh extended battery.
As with the Seidio "large" 2400 mAh battery, this medium unit is just as impressive. Here are the details:
1. Out of the Box - I noted out of the box that the battery cover appeared to be of good quality, thicker than the OEM cover, a better finish and it has the speaker grill.
2. Cells - I noted the battery label said the cells were made in Japan. A good sign as to quality since the better lithium comes from Japan [better quality control there.]
3. Battery Install - I inserted the battery just to check the fit, etc. Of course the battery inserted perfectly. The phone fired up and the battery icon indicated about 25% power.
4. Fit - I attached the battery cover and was AMAZED at how tightly this one snaps into place. It's so tight that it is actually difficult to remove it. So it seems Seidio must have beefed up the latching mechanisms even more than on the 2400 mAh cover [which was also tight].
I then noted the cover fit nicely, all the edges mated fine and overall the feel of the phone is better because the Seidio cover is not flimsy like the OEM cover.
6. Form Factor / Size - I also did some size comparisons for you, so to see just how little this battery extends beyond the original size of the phone. So why the cover you ask? Two things: A) the Seidio cover has the speaker grill; and 2) the extended battery protrudes about 1 mm so the original cover will not fit over the extended battery. It almost does, but it cannot.
Overall, use of this battery is great for people who do not want to lose the Pearl's original "slim and trim" feel. Installed you cannot really tell that there is an extended battery in use.
7. Cases - I then put the phone into various cases. It will NOT fit into any hard case since the tolerance [gap] between the phone cover and the hard case is not sufficient to handle the additional 1 mm space that the extended battery required.
But, the phone with this medium battery does fit into all my leather cases. Obviously this is because leather cases have enough flex to make room for 1 mm of additional phone, so to speak.
Note: I will upload pics of the various cases in use, in a separate post.
8. Power - I started my test of the phone's power with this new battery, about 18 hours ago. I will perform a power test over the next few days and post the results.
9. Price - This is a very good product and IMHO priced fairly for what you get. IMHO the cover could sell for $10 to $15 by itself, so that means the extended battery is selling for $25 or so. That's a deal for an extended battery OF GOOD QUALITY [meaning in comparison to cheap, low quality batteries from fleabay].
Yeah, you can eventually find cheaper items on eBay, but who knows what kind of crap they are putting into such products.
Conclusion - I don't know of anyone else making these items so I think we are lucky to have access to the information and products before most anyone else.
Personally, I like the large 2400 mAh battery. I prefer the additional power since I do not have a land line at home, I am totally wireless. Also, I like the grip I can get on the phone with the larger battery. Using this "medium" extended battery caused me to lose the gripping surface that I have become used to with the 2400 mAh battery.
For both these reasons I am letting my friend use this extended battery. On seeing it she would have taken it from me anyway.
